(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to methods for increasing production from oil and gas wells.
(2) Description of the Related Art
A key issue facing most oil and gas producers is how to increase their production volumes. Conventional approaches involve in-field drilling programs, horizontal drilling, well stimulation, and fracturing. The following U.S. patents disclose various inventions relating to fracturing: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,391,337; 4,537,256; 6,929,066; and 7,637,317. Each one of these patents is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Many U.S. patents disclose various inventions relating to underground perforating of casings and formations. U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,220 discloses a method for cutting openings through casing, cement and the formation rock. U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,518 discloses a method for enhancing production from an oil or gas well. U.S. Pat. No. 7,025,139 discloses a well jet device. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,865,792 and 7,246,548 disclose well perforating guns and methods for making them. Each one of these patents is incorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,700,969 and 5,531,164 disclose jet perforating of underground well casings, using resistive blasting caps. U.S. Pat. No. 7,650,947 discloses a system for circulating, perforating and treating a well. U.S. Pat. No. 7,635,027 discloses a method and apparatus for completing a horizontal well by detonating a perforating charge. U.S. Pat. No. 7,600,562 discloses a non-explosive tubing perforator and method of perforating. U.S. Pat. No. 7,357,182 discloses a method and apparatus for completing a lateral channel from an existing oil or gas well. The device includes a well perforating tool for perforating a well casing at a preselected depth, and a lateral alignment tool for directing a flexible hose and blaster nozzle through a previously made perforation in the casing to complete the lateral channel. Each one of these patents is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
.While these methods may apply to large fields with thick contiguous pay sands, there are many fields with thinner sand sections or lower flow rates where the potential production increase will not justify such procedures. Other types of radial or lateral blasting have failed to penetrate the formation around a well bore successfully due to lack of high pressure and volume of fluid, lack of integrity in the flexible hose to maintain direction, and lack of ability to create circulation and remove cuttings as lateral holes in the formation are established.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,527,092 and 7,546,876 both disclose a method and apparatus for down hole abrasive jet-fluid cutting. U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,527,092 and 7,546,876 are incorporated by reference in their entirety. The apparatus includes a jet-fluid nozzle and a high pressure pump capable of delivering a high-pressure abrasive fluid mixture to the jet-fluid nozzle, an abrasive fluid mixing unit capable of maintaining and providing a coherent abrasive fluid mixture, a tube to deliver the high pressure coherent abrasive mixture down hole to the jet-fluid nozzle, a jetting shoe adapted to receive the jet-fluid nozzle and directing abrasive jet-fluid mixture towards a work piece, a jetting shoe controlling unit that manipulates the jetting shoe along a vertical and horizontal axis and a central processing unit having a memory unit capable of storing profile generation data for cutting a predefined shape or window profile in the work piece and coordinating the operation of various subsystems. Users of the devices described in these two patents have observed breakdowns of the described inventions, including: failure of the abrasive jetting system being able to navigate the ninety-degree angle in the deflection shoe without cutting through the shoe; inability to penetrate the formation after having cut through the deflection shoe; clogging of the formation when using abrasives to cut the formation, the flexible hose crimping under pressure from the coiled tubing, abrasive environments having a negative impact on the life of the jetting nozzle at the end of the flexible hose, and expansion of the flexible hose, impeding its ability to move through the deflection shoe.
In light of the foregoing, a need remains for an apparatus having an improved deflection shoe, and improved flexible hose, for blasting lateral holes in the formation around a well bore.